Watchdogs of the ARK

Strange Trespasser

"I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the Ultimate Life Form. Born and raised aboard the ARK! I shall live on... I am the protector of the ARK... living proof of the Ultimate Life Form. I won't allow anyone to violate the sacred ARK.

Who are you? An experiment, a G.U.N. agent, a member of the Black Arms? Or are you something else all together? Where ever you came from, you don't belong here.

You use your claws to search your face for that mask. I removed it after we fought.

You're shaking. You're afraid of me? You should be... but I suppose, if I wanted to kill you, I would have already done so. It was easy to render you unconscious, though I prefer you awake now. Your eyes remind me of The Commander's... are you a soldier? Hmph, what's your name?

Answer me and perhaps I'll spare your life."

An hour earlier...

The ARK. Serene, majestic, uninhabited, until...

WARP. Infinite appears, haggard and confused. His landing is ungraceful, causing him to loose grip of his sword. He stands, dazed and devastated to be without his power-producing Phantom Ruby.

"No, no where am I? No one. This place, there's nothing here. Nobody around. Ugh..." he holds his head for a moment, fighting the stinging in his neck and the ringing in his ears. He makes the mistake of closing his eyes only to open them a split second later and see...

"Oh please, please no... NO!"

Yes. Shadow the Hedgehog, and he's zooming right towards Infinite at full speed. Infinite's heart rate shoots through the roof.

"That worm hole dropped me into the ninth gate of hell! He's going to kill me!"

Panicked, Infinite fumbles for his sword, swinging it and missing when Shadow disappears via Chaos Control. The terrified jackal looks from side to side, then... WAM.

"Uuuugghhh..."

Shadow judo-chops him right in the shoulder from behind. Infinite's worst fear, being finished off by the enemy that killed his Jackal Squad. Everything begins to spin in slow motion.

"So that's the end of the Ultimate Mercenary..."

THUD. The jackal collapses limply, face down onto the metal floor, out cold. Serenity resumes. Shadow pauses to stare at the unconscious stranger. Clearly the displaced warrior's not much of a threat. Shadow perceives him to be amateurish and knows it wouldn't take but a quick kick in the neck to snap the creature's spine from the top down.

"Hmm, who are you?" he asks, as he kneels. Curious to remove his adversary's unique and rather impressively crafted mask, he turns Infinite onto his back, surprised at how doll-like the jackal's exhausted body feels. Carefully, he removes the face guard, making sure not to inflict any sudden movements. His eye brow ridges raise at the sight of his opponent's androgyny.

"What a beautiful face. I've never seen a female like you before. Looks like I really frightened you. I don't think I have the heart to kill you."